Texas celebrates 171 years of statehood

Lone Star State became 28th state of the union

SAN ANTONIO – On this date in 1845, Texas became the 28th state of the United States of America.

After almost a decade as an independent nation, Texas joined the union under the administration of President James Polk. It took more than 40 years for the state capitol in Austin to be completed. More than a century later, it was renovated and expanded.

Since then, the state has changes a lot, from the first rail road line to the discovery of oil in the late 1800s.

The 20th century continued the states advances politically and scientifically. Ma Ferguson was elected the first female governor of the state in 1924. Eight years later, John Nance Garner became the first Texan to become Vice President of the U.S. It was not until tragedy struck in Dallas in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, that a Texan became President of the U.S. Lyndon Baines Johnson was sworn in on the tarmac of Dallas Love Field as the nation's 36th president.

By the turn of the century Texas continued to have an impact nationwide. In 2000, Gov. George. W. Bush was elected the 43rd president and served two terms. While Gov. Rick Perry spent 14 years leading the state, changing the impact the governor has on state politics as the longest-serving governor in the state’s history.